Thursday marked the third anniversary of the legendary “Minneapolis Miracle” that resulted in the Minnesota Vikings making it all the way to the 2017 NFC Championship.
We recently looked back at that moment and discussed how things might be different for the current Vikings if that miracle play never happened.
These thoughts were also brought up on the latest episode of The Viking Age Podcast by myself and TVA staff member, Chris Schad.
The alternate universe where Lamar Jackson lands with the Minnesota Vikings
During the episode, Chris and I discussed how it’s possible that Minnesota might not have pursued Kirk Cousins during the 2018 offseason if they didn’t make the NFC Championship in 2017.
I mentioned how the Vikings could have turned to the 2018 NFL Draft for a new quarterback instead and Chris threw out the idea of Minnesota re-signing Case Keenum to a short-term deal and then drafting Lamar Jackson to eventually take over as their starting signal-caller (the discussion starts at the 7:30 mark).
Jackson was still on the board when it came time for the Vikings to make their pick in the first round of the 2018 draft and maybe they don’t pass on him if the “Minneapolis Miracle” doesn’t happen.
This thought of Jackson currently being the Vikings’ starting quarterback quickly turned into a depressing feeling knowing how well his NFL career has already turned out in just three years.
As Chris mentioned, think of how lethal a Minnesota rushing attack featuring Jackson and Dalvin Cook would be. Opposing teams would lose their minds trying to figure out how to prevent the Vikings from running the ball down their throats.
It’s not like Cousins hasn’t performed well during his tenure with Minnesota, because he has. But no one can argue against how much better the Vikings could have been during their last three seasons if they drafted Jackson in 2018 instead of signing Cousins.
4 Vikings players that could be traded during the 2021 offseason
As they look for ways to get back into contention next season, which current Minnesota Vikings players might be dealt in 2021?
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